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Sunday, November 6, 2016

Hey again! I know I have been posting alot about food lately, but it is kinda my life...and here is another one. Sorry not sorry. Actually it's not TECHNICALLY food, it's protein powder, but a real food based kind. I have been curious about this brand for a while so I contacted them, and Sunwarrior was lovely enough to send me a few samples to try out! They sent me a nice little package containing one Warrior Blend, two Classic Plus, and two of their newest protein Illumin8, which is a meal replacement.

I was already familiar with Sunwarrior from social media but I had never been able to get my hands on the samples because every time I decided to pick one up at my local health food stores, they were always out! I read up on the brand and I really like the values they live by, and what they represent.

Sunwarrior is a company that believes in the power of plant based foods, and nourishing your body with all the minerals, vitamins and enzymes that nature has provided us with. They believe in eating real, whole nutritious food, and that's what I'm all about. I may not be a vegetarian or vegan, but 80% of my diet is based around fruit, veggies, and nuts, seeds and some legumes, I think the best thing you can do for your health is to feed yourself right, and supplementing with a high quality protein such as Sunwarrior only adds to it.

Let's start off with each kind of protein, and then I will share my thoughts on each one.*Warrior Blend - A grain free protein blend of pea, hemp, goji berry, and ground coconut (for MCT). It comes in Natural, Vanilla, Chocolate, Mocha, and Berry.

*Classic Plus - An upgraded version of their Classic protein (which I haven't tried). A blend of pea, brown rice, quinoa, chia, and amaranth proteins. Comes in Natural, Vanilla, and Chocolate.* Illumin8 - A nutrient packed meal replacemet using a blend of pea protein, flax and chia, brown rice protein, and an abundance of super foods such as baobab and kelp, probiotic and enzymes, and tons of sprouts for extra nutrition. This one was my favorite of them all, especially the Aztec Chocolate! Comes in Vanilla Bean, Aztec Chocolate, and Mocha.

I am a smoothie junkie so I enjoyed all but one of these glorious samples in various smoothies. The Warrior Blend in Berry was the first I tried. Apon opening, I could immediately smell the berry scent and it reminded me of when I was a kid and making Kool-Aid. It smelled amazing! The texture is very smooth and mixes very easily into smoothies. Sometimes with vegan proteins, you get a grittiness that never really goes away even after blending, but that was not the case with any of the proteins for Sunwarrior. There is pretty strong stevia sweetness to it, so if you don't realy like stevia that much just be aware of that before you try it.

The Classic Plus was the next and they were both so delicious! My favorite mixture was a smoothie with the Chocolate flavor and some peanut butter, banana, greens powder, Princess, and coconut milk, Both of the flavors of Classic plus were smooth, mixed very easily and hid the taste of my greens powder extremely well.
Verdict: I love the chocolate flavors and they make any smoothie like a dessert.

Last but not least is Illumin8. This one was my absolute FAVORITE of all of them! I made a smoothie with the Mocha and it was the bomb, and the Aztec Chocolate was the secret ingredient to some protein muffins and it was so unbeleivably good, I will definitely be buying the full size container in the near future!
Verdict: The texture was smooth and silky, blended well, tasted like I was eating something naughty but was actually super healthy!

I am so glad I got the chance to try out all of these wonderful products form Sunwarrior! I am definitely a new customer and look forward to trying the other flavors as well.

The muffins I made were a chocolate banana protein muffin, using Know Foods pancake mix was the "flour". They came out so chocolatey and moist and were devoured by the next afternoon by my boyfriend and myself. If you are looking for a delicious, high quality, plant based protein powder to try, go do yourself a favor and try Sunnwarrior if you haven't already!

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Right now I am sitting on the couch drinking some paleo superfood hot cocoa (based on this recipe), and wishing I had a delicious muffin from the company I am about to rave all over you about. I am obsessed with this company. It's a love affair that I hope never ends. Sometimes brands enter your life for a reason, to have an impact on your life and teach you something along the way. Know Foods is one of those companies for me. I came across a sponsored post for Know Foods on Instagram right at the beginning of my grain free experiment, and was immediately drawn in and went straight to their website to explore...and never looked back!

Know Foods is a company out of Atlanta, Georgia who is on a mission to teach people the benefits of a gluten and grain free life by way of making the best bread EVER. Not only do they make bread slices, they also offer buns, bites, muffins using Enjoy Life chocolate chips, and most recently, pancake mix. All grain free and paleo friendly!

What makes these products so much better nutritionally is the fact that they use nutrient dense superfoods such as flax, chia, and coconut flours to create a bread that tastes unbelievable, and is also low glycemic (less than 10 glycemic index), high protein, and full of fiber. This delicious slice of superfood heaven really softened the landing of my journey into grain-freeness. I use to think I would never be able to go grain free because I love toast...but my mind was blown and changed immediately after my first bite.

I'm not exactly sure how they did it, magic is my guess, but they somehow made grain free bread taste like the real thing. The texture is a little more dense but it toasts PERFECTLY, and is very sturdy. I even take pre-toasted slices in my lunch to work and they never get soggy! That was one of the reasons I preferred sprouted bread, was the fact that it held up in my lunchbox and being refrigerated.

A great thing for me about these products is that I have no water retention after eating them, When I eat grain based things, whether it be sprouted bread, or even organic pasta, I retain water and get puffiness all over, especially my face and hands/ feet. I never really thought it was related to grains until I removed them from my diet and saw immediate results. So if you are someone who has trouble with puffiness after eating, this could be a great product for you as well,

So far I have tried everything but the bread bites, but they are on my list! I have purchased from Know Foods 3 times now, and they always throw in a bag of muffins....and they are amazing! Their customer service couldn't be better also! Every time I order, they actually call me on the phone to see if I will be home the next day to receive my package. Who does that anymore?? I was so impressed. They ship next day as well, although sometimes it takes a few days for them to ship it since they have to make it.

The packaging has changed since my first time ordering, but I just love the simplicity of the black and white labels. The bread slices and buns come in packs of 4, while the muffins and bites come 10 to a bag. I always get 4 packs of slices (16 slices), and put one in the fridge then the other 3 in the freezer until i need to use them. They freeze well, and even toast nicely right from the freezer.
I have been experimenting with their pancake mix, and am loving it! It makes a great breading for chicken and also makes really good muffins. I have a muffin recipe coming soon using Know pancakes and Sunwarrior protein so keep an eye out.

Just to show you how Know bread compares to other popular brands, here is a handy chart.

Know bread wins in the fiber department, not to mention the lower sodium, higher fiber, protein content AND the super low glycemic index.

Each one of their products costs $10, unless you get the sample pack ($15), or the subscription ($80).
The sample pack includes: *2 buns *5 bites *5 muffins

Subscription:*8 buns*20 bites*16 muffinsDelivered twice per month

Before you say that's too expensive hear me out! You know the rewards program that Iherb has? Well Know Foods has one too! Yep! You earn points every time you place and order, or share them on social media! Here is a break down of the rewards program from their website.

Once you create an account, you automatically receive 100 points!

As you can see, there are lots of different ways to earn points. When you reach 1000, you actually can get free bread! You earn 10 points for every dollar you spend, and if you refer a friend and they use your link to purchase, they get 10% their first order, but you also receive 200 points. For every 5 people that purchase through your personal link, you get $10 off your next order, Every time! How cool is that? You can cash your points in after you reach 500 and Know Foods will email you a coupon code to save $5. So simple, and so awesome,

If you are interested in trying any of the products that Know Foods offers, feel free to use this link to save yourself 10% on your first order.
And go check them out on all of their social media accounts!